EmPowering Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, seven out of ten people lack reliable access to electricity. With this project, Worldwatch is working with leaders across the region to identify the opportunities and challenges they face in the transition to a sustainable energy economy. In doing so, we aim to boost the quality of education, help erradicate illness and disease, and facilitate economic growth across the region.

The 15 member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are quickly emerging as global leaders in sustainable energy development, thanks in large part to the leadership of ECOWAS and the guidance provided by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE). The adoption of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy (EREP) in 2012 highlights the region’s ambitious vision, with targets for installed renewable capacity of 10 percent of peak load by 2020 and 19 percent of peak load by 2030.

Worldwatch is working with REN21 to draft the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Status Report, an important tool for promoting the development and deployment of sustainable energy options within and outside the region. Meeting the ambitious goals and targets outlined in the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy will require gaining the support of both the public and private sectors, engaging the citizens of member states, and attracting significant investment. If successful, this effort will provide an example to other regions seeking to develop their sustainable energy sectors, highlighting its global importance. The report is scheduled to be launched in June 2014.

The Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) comprises nearly a third of Tanzania's territory and is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Having identified significant opportunities for increased agricultural production in the Corridor, the Tanzanian government launched an initiative in 2010 to rapidly develop commercial agribusiness, boost local economies, and help achieve the country's goal of becoming a middle income nation by 2025. Stakeholders including smallholding farmers, wildlife tourism operators, pastoralists, and commercial fishers want to ensure that this is done sustainably. Worldwatch and EcoAgriculture Partners are working to develop a project with local stakeholders to promote off-grid sustainable energy, which can help farmers scale-up their operations, increase climate resilience, and provide electricity to the 99 percent of Corridor residents currently without service.

Starting and running a solar lamp retail business in a developing country like Kenya is no small feat. Kenya lacks strong transportation infrastructure for product distribution, and the bureaucratic red tape is not only tedious but can be opaque to foreigners. Meanwhile, the customers who need and want solar portable lamps most are those who can least afford it.

Gaurav Manchanda, an Indian-born entrepreneur and founder of One Degree Solar, found a new way to restore consumer confidence in a low-cost lamp that meets the standards of the Lighting Africa project. He developed a short messaging service (SMS) technology that both provides customer service and allows the company to monitor the social and environmental impacts of every lamp sold.